Tsunami warning, no threat to Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Sunday, 24 July 2005, 16:53 GMT]An earthquake of initially estimated magnitude of 7.3 Richter scale near Nicobar Islands was reported by Japanese Meteorological agency Sunday 16.02 GMT, CNN reported. The earthquake has potential to generate tsunami in littoral areas in Indian Ocean, the report cautioned. However, Sri Lanka's Meteorology Department later said that there was no threat of a tsunami hitting Sri Lanka, AP reported.

"There is a possibility of a destructive local tsunami in the Indian Ocean," the agency said in a written statement about the earthquake, the report added.

In an hour or less, a tsunami could hit all coasts of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India and, in Indonesia, the Indian Ocean coast and Malacca coast of Sumatra. The U.S. Geologic Survey measured the quake at a preliminary 7.0 magnitude and said it was centered about 690 miles southwest of Bangkok, the report further said.

"The time for that [Tsunami hitting NorthEast coast] has passed and also the intensity of the quake was low,'' said S.D. Jayasinghe, who works for the Sri Lanka's Meteorology Department.

Full text of the warning bulletin issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center (PTWC) in Ewa Beach, Hawaii follows:

THIS EARTHQUAKE IS LOCATED OUTSIDE THE PACIFIC. NO TSUNAMI THREAT EXISTS TO COASTLINES IN THE PACIFIC.

HOWEVER - EARTHQUAKES OF THIS SIZE SOMETIMES GENERATE LOCAL TSUNAMIS THAT CAN BE DESTRUCTIVE ALONG COASTS LOCATED WITHIN A FEW HUNDRED KILOMETERS OF THE EARTHQUAKE EPICENTER. AUTHORITIES IN THE REGION OF THE EPICENTER SHOULD BE AWARE OF THIS POSSIBILITY AND TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION.

THIS CENTER DOES NOT HAVE SEA LEVEL GAUGES OUTSIDE THE PACIFIC SO WILL NOT BE ABLE TO DETECT OR MEASURE A TSUNAMI IF ONE WAS GENERATED. AUTHORITIES CAN ASSUME THE DANGER HAS PASSED IF NO TSUNAMI WAVES ARE OBSERVED NEAR THE EPICENTER WITHIN AN HOUR OF THE EARTHQUAKE.